Traffic, rubbish and so on

[Samuel]
Traffic rules in India are roughly like this:

Hoot whenever there is another vehicle or pedestrian in sight
If someone hoots at you, get out of the way
Keep moving at all costs
Don't give way except to avoid a collision
Drive on the left unless it is more convenient to drive on the right
Overtake even if you cannot see what is coming - you can always change your mind at the last minute

Traffic is consequently very noisy - especially as buses tend to have loud air horns - some drivers use the horn almost continuously.

Cars, motorbikes etc often drive out from side roads without stopping, precipitating a burst of hooting by traffic on the main road (and a response by the person driving out). Similar strategies seem to apply to roundabouts.

Piles of rubbish collect by the roadside - plastic bottles, oily rags, newspaper and suchlike. Organic waste like food waste tends to get eaten by the ubiquitous cows (who are loose along the side of many roads), who will also eat newspaper.

Pavements tend to be the cover of an otherwise open sewer, and will (when they exist at all) have occasional gaps exposing the (smelly) drain, but most significantly, they tend to be colonised by vendors, used to park motorbikes, used as somewhere to live, display good for nearby shops, etc.

Thus walking is a continuous battle with:

Traffic (hooting at you to get out of the way)
Avoiding unpleasant holes!
Avoiding rubbish!
Avoiding cows (one tried to but me in Munnar!)
Avoiding colonisers of the roadside

Having said this, one can see more and get a much better feel for the flavour and nuances of Indain life by walking than by scooting past in a taxi or rickshaw.

In cities there are little temples everywhere, and all sorts of shops and street vendors.